Lucca Comics & Games 2023 Fest Offers Something for Every Fan, From ‘Harry Potter’ to ‘Hunger Games’

variety.com:

Davide Abbatescianni After two pandemic years and a successful 2022 edition back in full swing, Lucca Comics & Games — Europe’s biggest geek meet, second in size globally only to Tokyo’s Comiket — is set to unspool again in the picturesque Tuscan town from Nov.

1-5. In the turbulent times of the SAG-AFTRA strike, the gathering will offer its 80,000 daily visitors a slew of movies, series, comics, games, video games, concerts and live events. “We’re the only festival in the world having a red carpet and a large cinema-focused component that is not primarily a film festival.

Lucca is a great hybrid event,” Lucca chief Emanuele Vietina tells Variety ahead of the event’s launch. The big star of Day One will be Michel Gondry, who will attend the opening ceremony and host a masterclass covering his body of work, including his latest, “The Book of Solutions.” Giovanni Cova, head of the entertainment marketing company QMI who is in charge of the film and TV section, admits there will be fewer stars in town, but adds: “Nevertheless, we were hit [by the strike] less than others.

Lucca is not so red carpet-, actor-focused. It’s a fest attracting a ‘trained’ audience who may find it more interesting [meeting with] directors and screenwriters.” Other film and TV highlights of this year’s edition include Frank Miller’s presence celebrating the 30th anniversary of Zack Snyder’s epic “300,” Shawn Levy’s new Netflix series “All the Light We Cannot See,” Eli Roth’s slasher “Thanksgiving,” Hayao Miyazaki’s much-anticipated “The Boy and the Heron,” Blumhouse-produced horror “Five Nights at Freddy’s” (based on the titular video game franchise) and a special fan screening of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.” “Over the.